The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

More attacks against “Olive Branch” Forces increase to 114, the number of attacks by cells of the Kurdish Forces since their loss of Afrin in conjunction with Russian – Turkish – Syrian movements

Violations, detentions, looting, forced royalties, and occasional clashes, all of which are witnessed in Afrin area in the northwestern countryside of Aleppo Province, which is controlled by the Turkish Forces and the factions which fight under the banner of the “Olive Branch” Operation, and with the continuous settlement and violations, and with the pressure by the Turkish Forces through the factions supported by them and operating under their control; on civilians to leave their homes and belongings and displace outside of Afrin area, the tragedy of people of this area increased, and in the military side, Afrin witnessed the escalation of combat operations between the Turkey-supported rebel and Islamic factions of “Olive Branch” Operation against cells of YPG, in Trenda area in the vicinity of Afrin city and in other areas on the contact lines between the deployment areas of the Kurdish Forces, and the regime forces and Iranian forces, which killed at least 6 members of “Olive Branch” Operation.

This attack raised to 114, the number of assassinations that targeted the forces controlling Afrin area, which continue to prevent civilians from returning from the northern countryside of Aleppo, towards their towns, villages, and residences from which they have been displaced, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented the rise of number of casualties as a result of the continuation of these groups of the YPG to carry out targeting operation against the Turkish forces and the factions in Afrin area, where it rose to at least 1575, the number of fighters of the YPG and the Self-Defense forces who have been killed since the start of the Operation “Olive Branch”, while it rose to 621, the number of members of the Turkish forces and the rebel and Islamic factions including 83 soldiers of the Turkish forces, who were killed in the clashes against the Kurdish Units in Afrin area and in the targeting they have been subjected to, while leading sources of the YPG denied that their forces or cells had relation or responsibility for many of the assassinations and acts of torture; some of which appeared on videos and attributed to the Kurdish Forces, and the sources accused other cells belong to other parties of carrying out these assassinations and attributing them to the Kurdish Forces for their own agenda, the main aim of which is to escalating their violations against the civilians, where the resentment has been increasing among the civilians day after day, with the unfair and unjust procedures, and the silence of the Turkish Forces -who are leading the “Olive Branch” operation- and not responding to their complaints.

These clashes came after about one week of clashes between the rebel and Islamic factions against gunmen who were not known whether they were the regime’s loyal gunmen, or members of Kurdish forces, the clashes took place in the vicinity of Fafertin and Burj Haidar in the northern countryside of Aleppo, near regime forces’-controlled areas west of the towns of Nubl and Zahra, and the Syrian Observatory learned that at least 7 members of the factions were injured and 4 were killed in the clashes and shelling.

Also these clashes come after the Turkish Forces have been working in an unannounced manner on sending vehicles and armored vehicles to Afrin area, in conjunction with the process of strengthening their positions, bases, and points of presence in the vicinity of Afrin city and in its countryside, while this reinforcement of sites comes in conjunction with the probability of clashes in the northern countryside of Aleppo, between the regime forces, Iranian forces and the gunmen loyal to them against fighters of the Turkish-backed rebel and Islamic factions, but before that, the forces of the regime and the Iranians have brought reinforcements of armored vehicles and hundreds of members to Tal Rifaat area, in which these forces are deployed and also the Kurdish forces are deployed, and the Syrian Observatory learned that the reinforcements come in the framework of preparations to repel an expected attack by the Turkey-supported the rebel and Islamic factions towards the area with in order to control it and advancement in it.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published yesterday that the suffering of the people of Afrin which is located in the north-west of Aleppo is increasing every day, as neither there are houses that they can take shelter in, nor those who are in charge of protecting it, leave them alone, as the factions of the forces of the Operation “Olive Branch” led by Turkey, which are in control of the area, are still continuing their violations against the residents who remained in Afrin area, of killing, torture, imposing royalties and other violations, which pushed hundreds of people to displace after they lost hope that those who seized their houses to be restrained, where local sources informed the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that tens of families were forced to leave their houses, leave Afrin area and displace towards the SDF-held areas in the east of the Euphrates, where locals confirmed that the reasons for the displacement are the repeated arrests by more than one faction, which arrest residents and take them to detention centers where they fabricate accusations against most of them, and refuse to release them without paying a royalty that reaches in some cases to millions of Syrian Pounds.

The sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that about 1000 families are presented in the areas of Ayn Al-Arab (Kobani) and areas in the Syrian Jazeera, in the east of the Euphrates River, where they suffer from the lack of aid presented for them, and the locals disclosed their complaints via the Syrian Observatory that there is no aid presented for them, as well as the ignore of the self-administrations in these areas to their sufferings, in addition to the lack of job opportunities, and the locals directed their appeals via the SOHR to the democratic self-administrations in Ayn Al-Arab (Kobani) and Al-Jazeera, to do their duties towards the displaced people who lost everything even their money which they saved, they paid it then in return for getting out from Afrin area, at the checkpoints of the factions operating within the Operation “Olive Branch”.

Other reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the processes of imposing royalties at the checkpoints of the factions which operate within the Operation “Olive Branch”, are still continuing, where sums of money are imposed on vehicles, trucks and buses during passing in the area, especially on the road to Al-Basuta area, and the sources also confirmed that Afrin city becomes empty of any security presence, every day at midnight, in which the armed members of the factions become active, and gunfire processes take place every day, sources suggested that they are carried out as a result of thefts by groups of the factions operating in Afrin area and the city, also the sources confirmed that the members of a division operating within the Operation “Olive Branch”, looted a large warehouse in the center of Afrin city, 5 days ago, where it contained furniture of a house, electric devices and home appliances, where the warehouse was almost emptied and its contents were taken to unknown destination.

The Syrian Observatory published yesterday, that it monitored that the rebel and Islamic factions operating under the banner of Operation “Olive Branch”, are continuing their violations against the citizens of Afrin city and its countryside, where residents are periodically arrested, detained and threatened to be killed in the case that their relatives do not send a ransom that reaches millions of Syrian Pounds, where they are beaten, tortured and threatened, under the pretext of “complaints filed by locals against them”, these factions also direct accusations to the citizens and beat and assault them during the questionings which are carried out in their jails and detention centers, while it rose to about 40, the number of those who were arrested in the past 48 hours in Afrin city and its countryside, by several factions operating in the area, against the backdrop of the attacks which took place in the contact lines between the controlled areas of the Operation “Olive Branch” and between the areas where the Kurdish forces are deployed in the north-western countryside of Aleppo.